Open House Picks: Two Historic Manoa Properties

We’re heading to Manoa for this week’s open-house picks, both of which are historic properties. Let’s hope the weather doesn’t literally rain on our open-house parade!

First up is the George D. Oakley residence, which I wrote about back in November when it came back on the market after the initial sale fell through. Designed by architect Miles H. Gray, an engineer with the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps., the 82-year-old, English-cottage-style home was built for George D. Oakley, who was the music editor for the Star-Bulletin in the 1930s. Oakley’s daughter, Nancy Oakley Hedemann, lived in the house until her passing early last year. The residence is listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

The second open-house pick for this weekend is the former caretakers’ residence to the Straub estate, a three-bedroom/two-bath, 2,500-sq.-ft. home on a private lot in the back of the valley. The current owners have updated the interior spaces, including the modern, Studio Becker-designed kitchen. There’s a legal one-bedroom/one-bath ohana unit downstairs, which is currently being used as an office.

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About Our Writer

Rachel Ross is a Realtor at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hawai‘i Realty. Raised in Hawai‘i Kai, she previously worked in public relations and marketing where she assisted some of O‘ahu’s biggest community developers, educators and businesses. She loves connecting people and says that real estate is a form of matchmaking. She is mom to three teenagers and an avid runner, and notes that the hour each day of pavement-pounding is the only teen-angst-free peace and quiet she gets all day. rachelr@bhhshawaii.com